Mel From Melbourne - Music & Words

  A Mixed Bag as usual   After a disgraceful night on the lash One would do well to view my epodes with suspicion It was great to be out with friends again After nearly 2 years under confinement to our homes And even The Bard warned against killjoys Moderation in all things Along with moderation Nothing very new then I am a man The good the bad the ugly But I am I think if viewed correctly Amusing I give the pantheon a good giggle As my old mate said You might be a f%#K up But you’re OUR F&*k up I overreach Then lacerate myself with spells of anxiety Then a period of calm Then an intense feeling of elation That causes me to overreach On the high wire act that is a man’s life Then the panic again and self-recriminations Then anxiety without object Then abatement And so on It’s a bumpy ride For me and for others But I guess it’s my ride I am thus-wise constituted I am profoundly embarrassing And irritating A...

  The Good Fight   I’m tired of fighting I really want to stop It takes so much out of me I lose years to breakdowns Where I can barely walk I stop I breathe I paint Rebuild Play with colours and form Abstractions meaning nought A meditation is all It’s kind of beautiful you know And some people can do it And transform reality And communicate And move others But my life is different & hell you only get one I am a fighter And there are millions to defend In a game run by bullies Mining companies own the pollies Destroy the planet and get repaid with grants Kill ancient treasures Maim ancient cultures Ancient cultures that can guide the world forward To living sustainably To living equitably Economic’s law of scarcity Is not inevitable If we learn from the ancients we see There is enough for all If we stand up to bullies And promote our world’s ancient wisdom Carried on the backs of honest people For...

It is what it is, I went to the zoo   I went to the zoo When I was a kid All the other goats Stayed on the mountain That’s where I learned The law of the jungle The lawyer’s legalese While my clients Chewed on grass And my friends We lost touch They moved further down the bay Still dressing in their polo shirts I slept with refugees Whose suffering I had a great deal of trouble Reconciling myself with I was brought up to fantasize About women And here was “not an interesting story” The son of an Auschwitz survivor Once said about his dad’s It made sense When later I made love to my woman To a pedestal (better) & realized I was a phony Just like all middle class liberals “Still at least we’re not rapists Like the Cappos” You could see it that way, sure But kids don’t kid around much These days Their jokes sound like sermons In short they’re applauded and agreed with But you don’t hear full body laughter ...

There's a bit of a sentiment amongst the Melbourne scene that Aaron Neville is not to be publicly celebrated. It's always been a bit hostile to tenors and pure voices, preferring singers of the Dylan set. Incidentally Aaron's done some incredible versions of Bob songs with his brothers.   As a once singer who no longer has the emotional capacity to raise himself in sonorousness I have a real appreciation of Aaron. In many ways, he's the singer's singer. The most audacious lines are articulated. He doesn't just tack his trills at the end of his lines, like Mariah Carey and so many followers, he weaves them into his lines, in fact the line and the trill are inseparable for Aaron. All the while he sings with profound spirituality and emotion. Having seen him in concert, his humility is obvious.  He's all about the song, not his ego.   A while back this youtube clip from the 80s popped up in my suggested views. I find it in equal part...